Aquatic propulsion assembly for swimmers



Dec. 10, 1968 B. H. HAMPTON AQUATIC PROPULSION ASSEMBLY FOR SWIMMERS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 7, 1967 fimwezzz/am im BY M M Wm' ATTORNEYS Dec. 10, 1968 HAMPTON 3,415,211

AQUATIC PROPULSION ASSEMBLY FOR SWIMMERS Filed Aug. 7, 1967 s Sheets-Sheet 2 I N VENTOR ATTORNEYS Dec. 10, 1968 s. H. HAMPTON I AQUATIC PROPULSION ASSEMBLY FOR SWIMMERS Filed Aug. 7. 1967 .7 [mm/5r ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,415,211 AQUATIC PROPULSION ASSEMBLY FOR SWIMMERS Bauswell H. Hampton, 705 Logan Lane, Blythville, Ark. 72315 Filed Aug. 7, 1967, Ser. No. 658,875 Claims. (Cl. 114-16) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention includes a unique double Walled vair filled skeleton type suit of rubber, plastic or other suitable material, and includes shoulder portions with opposite arm outlets and a front panel which extends only to about the waist of the wearer and substantially semicircular legs which surround about half of the legs from about the ankle up to the crotch. There are suitable bindings that maintain the leg portions in their proper position about the lower and upper part of the limbs. The complete bac'k portion of the unique suit is substantially open from the back of the shoulders down to the ankle portions thereof.

This invention relates to a unique air filled skeleton type suit fabricated of rubber or other suitable material and has many uses, such as by sportsmen, rescue squads to assist in recovering those from drowning, by air lines in case of emergency landing over water, in submarines, all departments of defense and, of course, the same may be used on the surface of the water or beneath the surface of the water and for scuba diving, dredging and underwater mining operations, and many other uses.

Additionally, the suit carries thereon and therewith suitable motor means which propels the user, and this motor means may be any type, such as electric, a non-explosive fuel motor, or the type of motor set forth in Patent No. 3,323,481, June 6, 1967, Harvey, column 3, beginning in paragraph 6 and ending in line 24, and a compressor for supplying air to a storage tank, radarscope, camera, and all within the reach of the arms of the user of the suit, which arms are free as well as the hands. Additionally, there are unique shoulder flaps and anchor control flaps having means within the reach of the wearer to enable him to steer his path either forward, up or down.

It is, therefore, one object of the invention to provide a reasonably light weight and what may be called a semisuit for swimmers and divers wherein only portions of the body of the user are covered by the suit, and such uncovered portions of the body being the legs and substantially the complete back of the user. Additionally, the suit is double walled and made of suitable resilient material, such as rubber or plastic, and has a means to the double walled area to supply additional air thereto or release air therefrom.

Another object of the invention is to provide a suit for a swimmer or diver as in the aforementioned object, and which suit carries a number of communicating and photographic means with telescopic lens, and a propulsion motor and compressor and with a radarscope and antenna, all in a compact and unique arrangement.

These and other objects of this invention are more clearly depicted in the following detailed description having specific reference to the attached drawings in which the embodiments of the invention are shown, not to limit the scope of the invention in any respect but so that the principles thereof might be more clearly demonstrated.

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the suit with the various accessories carried thereby in accordance with the teachings of my invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view showing the open back Patented Dec. 10, 1968 and open part of the legs of the suit from the shoulders down to the ankles;

FIG. 3 is an illustration of a swimmer with the suit and the various accessories attached thereto slightly below the surface of the water;

FIG. 4 is a view along the line 4- 4 looking in the direction of the arrows of FIG. 3, showing anchor flap and the operating means therefor which, of course, are on both legs;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view along the line 5-5 of FIG. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 6 is along the line 66 of FIG. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows, showing the shoulder flaps and the operating means therefor; and

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing a part of the motor and the propeller reaction tube with the propeller of the motor disposed therein.

In FIG. 1, the suit is generally indicated at S and is broken away at S to show the double walled air space construction of the entire suit. The suit includes the shoulder portions 10 and 11 which are substantially identical, and with an opening 12 through which the head of the user is passed. The shoulder portions are divided at 13 and there is a suitable fastener means, which may be snap fasteners, hooks or the like 14, which maintain the shoulder portions in closed relationship about the neck of the wearer, but is openable to enable the user to readily insert his arms through the respective arm openings 15 and 16 and then use the fastener to close the split portion of the shoulders. These shoulder portions extend substantially over the top of the shoulders of the wearer and are substantially equally curved downwardly at 16 on opposite sides of the shoulder portions and terminate at 17 into substantially straight and parallel side edges 18. There are oppositely disposed vertically extending loops U through which a suitable strap W, such as shown in FIG. 3, is passed to maintain the side edges 18 in rather close association with the body of the user and extend through a loop X on the compressed air tank 53. There is a similar strap W passing through a loop Z and which strap W is passed through the loops 28 and 29 as shown in FIG. 2 and serves to additionally maintain the compressed air tank on the back of the wearer. The side edge further equally curves as at 19 on both sides about the hip portions of the wearer and then extends similarly down in substantially semi-circular leg formations as at 20 fon both legs down to the ends 21 and 22. There are preferably a series of spaced resilient straps 23, 24, 25, 26 and 27 on each leg portion. These straps may be integral with the suit or separately and attached thereto and, if desired, have open ends and have buckles to close the same. On opposite sides of the shoulder portions, there are suitable similar loops 28 and 29 that act as a securing means for a belt which secures the air tank or tanks, if two such tanks are used, to the back of the wearer of the suit as hereinafter described.

The helmet H as shown in FIG. 3, along with the face mask M and the oxygen or air cup 0, is to be used in connection with the suit, and this helmet is in sealing relationship to the upper edge of the shoulder portions which at 30 define the opening which extends about the wearers neck.

The suit adjacent the upper portions has oppositely disposed shoulder steering flaps F which are integrally joined at F to the suit proper, and there is a raised hollow guide G through which a flexible flap operating cord J is threaded and anchored in an eyelet K adjacent the free end of the flap, and there being an enlarged handle J at the free end of the cord so that the wearer, with his arms and hands free, may grasp either of the handles J and manipulate the flaps to have them either go up or down, or both up and down simultaneously, to enable him to either swim forwardly or by positioning these flaps, enable him to raise from below the surface of the water to the surface.

Substantially similar ankle flaps L to the flaps F, as shown in FIG. 1, are utilized, and there is the flexible cord I with the handles J at each side of the legs and guides G through which the cord extends and projects therebeyond, and the other end of the cord is tethered to an eyelet N (FIG. 4) adjacent the free edge of each flap L so as to enable the wearer to readily grasp the handles J and work either one or both of these flaps separately or the two flaps simultaneously to effect his movements through and up and down in the water.

The wearer may, if desired, wear the flippers D and which may be closely sealed around the ankles of the wearer. The wearer, if desired, may have a wrist compass C and there may also be provided a throat microphone E suitably electrically connected through the batteries, and with the speaker, not shown. The helmet H may also have a light P which is operatively connected with source of power from the battery 36. Further, the suit is provided with an oral air filling tube 60 connected with the air space at 61 and having the end of the tube positioned in a closure 62 to prevent the air from escaping through the tube, but enabling this tube to be picked up out of its closure and orally blow air in the space between the double wall of the suit. Further, there is an air valve 63 similar to a tire valve which will enable the same to be connected to a source of air to place the desired amount of air in the air space of the suit.

It will be seen that, when the suit is applied to a wearer, substantially his entire back down to the waist is exposed and below the waist, the thighs and calves of the legs down to the ankle have the semi-circular leg portions thereabout.

Viewing the front part of the suit with all of the accessories thereon as shown in FIG. 1 and some of these accessories shown in dotted lines in FIG. 2, it will be seen that there is a motor 31 which may be a nonexplosive fuel motor, an electric motor getting its source from the batteries hereinafter referred to, or the motor as described in Patent No. 3,323,481 hereinbefore referred to. This motor, as will be noted from FIG. 5, is thoroughly encased in what is preferably a wall S from the spaced wall construction of the suit proper, or, if preferred, a separate Waterproof encasement for the motor and other accessories may be applied about the double wall portion of the suit and held in place by suitable straps or the like, not shown. However, the motor 31 may have applied thereto a rotary starter 32 about which a flexible rope 33 is wound, and such rope extending out through a tubular passageway 34 and terminating in a pull handle 35. The wall S" in effect provides a compartment for the motor 31 and the passageway 34 and for one or more batteries 36, and this motor is preferably held in place by suitable bolts 37 or like fastenings at the corners of the base of the motor. An exhaust pipe 38 is connected with the motor inside of the compartment for discharge of the gases from the motor. The motor has a shaft 39 extending outwardly from the compartment, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 7, and a suitable propeller 40 is mounted on the end of the shaft 39 and is retained thereon by a nut 41 on the screw threaded end 42 of the propeller shaft. A propeller housing reaction tube, which is oppositely double coned shaped 43 surrounds the propeller 40 and induces, in effect, a Venturi action by forcing the water through this reaction tube, and this provides sufficient propulsion for the user of the suit under any and all circumstances.

In addition to the motor and as seen from FIGS. 1 and 3, a suitable compressor 44, which is connected with the motor, is superposed with respect to the compartment R formed by the wall S". Connected with the compressor is an outside air valve 45. Also, there is an on-olf control switch 46 for the compressor. On the right side of the compartment, there is a camera 47 having a telescopic lens 48. On the left side of the compartment and preferably integral with the compartment, or it may be separate therefrom, and attached thereto in any suitable Way, there is a radarscope 49. A throttle lever 50 extends exteriorly of the compartment and, of course, this is for the control of the motor 31 within the compartment. Additionally, there is a radar antenna 51 which, of course, is operatively connected with the radarscope.

A flexible hose 52 is connected with the compressor 44 and extends over the shoulder of the suit to a compressed air tank 53, and there is a valve 54 for controlling the air entering into the tank or exiting therefrom. There is another flexible hose 55 connected to the tank and it, too, is valve controlled and is connected with the face mask M as seen in FIG. 3. Of course, if one wants to use two tanks, that is permissible, and if two tanks are used, they may be hooked onto the loops 28 and 29, but the one tank shown being used is actually hooked onto the loop 29.

The user may, if desired, attach to the suit the readily accessible and releasable safety emergency compressed air supply means as used by the US. Navy, and shown at Q in FIGS. 1 and 3.

I claim:

1. A suit for swimmers and divers formed of double wall construction with an air space therebetween and of resilient material, said suit comprising shoulder portions terminating in arm holes at opposite sides and a front portion for covering only substantially the body of the wearer from the neck down to about the thighs, the front portion merging into substantially semi-circular inwardly facing leg coverings that extend about the outside only of the legs and ankles of the wearer to allow freedom of movement of the legs, suitable means carried by each leg portion for maintaining the same in their proper positions about the legs of the wearer.

2. The suit as defined in and by claim 1, wherein free flaps are spacedly positioned on opposite shoulder portions of the suit, means attached to each flap that will be Within the reach of the wearer to grasp and pull to position these flaps outwardly of the suit on which they normally rest to effect elevation and depression of the user of the suit in the water, and similar free flaps on the outer lower portions of the leg portions of the suit and each said flap having connected thereto suitable means for pulling the same outwardly from contact with the respective leg portions whereby the user has ready access to such means for operating the flaps and may likewise use the same as a rudder or guiding means while he is in the water.

3. The suit as defined in and by claim 2, wherein the means for maintaining the leg portions about the wearers legs are spaced straps.

4. A swimming or diving suit as defined in and by claim 1, wherein there is a motor in a sealed compartment and a shaft extending from the motor outwardly of the compartment with a propeller thereon, a propeller reaction tube surrounding the propeller, throttle control means exteriorly of the compartment of connected with the motor, compressor means superposed on the compartment and connected with a compressed air tank, and photographic means also carried by the compartment exteriorly thereof and radarscope means also carried by the compartment.

5. The swimming or diving suit as defined in and by claim 4, wherein there is an oral air filling tube connected with the space of the double wall comprising the suit and a valve for allowing air to be filled into the space between the double walls of the suit.

6. The swimming or diving suit as defined in and by claim 5, wherein the compressed air tank is supported by means of spaced straps attached respectively to loops on opposite edges of the suit and to similar loops on opposite shoulder portions of the suit and both straps extending through loops on the said tank to maintain it on the back of the wearer.

7. The swimming suit as defined in and by claim 2, wherein the arm holes permit the free use of the arms and hands of the wearer of the suit while swimming on the surface or below the surface of the water and enabling the wearer to have ready access to all of the controls and operating means for the accessories carried by or on the suit.

8. The swimming suit as defined in and by claim 2, wherein said grasping means is in the form of a flexible cord, and there being guide means integral with the suit through which the said cord extends and is guided.

9. The swimming suit as defined in and by claim 4, wherein the reaction tube is double coned and wherein References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 6/1967 Harvey 1l56.l 8/1967 Miller 1l416 FERGUS S. MIDDLETON, Primary Examiner.

T. M. BLIX, Assistant Examiner. 

